south beach

Seriously, this weekend was the best I have had in a long time. Brian and I had a getaway to South Beach for three days and it was worth every effort that we made to get there.

We went to South Beach to celebrate our good friend Mazz's 30th birthday. We have such a great time with Mazz and his girlfriend Pam whenever we spend time with them, and we decided a few months ago to make this trip for his birthday.

Our flight left at 5:30 pm on Friday. We arrived in Miami around 8:30 on Friday night. We stayed at the Hotel of South Beach which was absolutely stunning. The staff was friendly and accommodating from the moment we got there.

Friday night we met up with my brother-in-law Godwin. He was working in Ft. Lauderdale and was able to spare some time to come and hang out with us. The three of us walked Ocean Drive and grabbed a bite to eat at News Cafe. We sat outside so that we could size everyone up and do some serious people watching. We had a bunch of drinks and laughs, and totally enjoyed ourselves.

After dinner, the three of us went back to the hotel room and changed. We went to meet Mazz and all of the other guests that had flown in for the birthday celebration. We went to Dolce for some celebrating. Luckily, we had an in on a guest list and were able to make our way into the club with no admission or waiting. It really was an awesome time. After a full night of dancing and debauchery, we left the club at about 4 am, and headed to the hotel to hang out at the rooftop bar with everyone. It was a long night... full of laughs and memories.

B and I spent the next morning at the rooftop pool. We had breakfast while lounging and gazing out at South Beach. When breakfast was over, most of our friends woke up to come and swim and lay out for a while. Before long, about eight of us were on our way to the beach. We had a cabana with six or seven beach chairs lined up. We swam in the crystal blue warm waters for a few hours before getting caught in a torrential down pour. Soaking wet, we were able to find shelter at Fat Tuesdays on the strip. We all had a bunch of drinks... danced, giggled and talked until the sun came out again.

Saturday night, we found an amazing Cuban restaurant called Puerto Sagua, to get some quick eats at. The food was phenomenal. It was authentic Cuban cuisine and hands down some of the most delicious dishes I have ever tasted. After filling our bellies, B and I went back to the hotel room and took a long nap.

That night eleven of us made our way to Privet where we were finagled VIP bottle service. We had a huge couch where we were able to lounge with a birds eye view of the entire dance floor. Our admission came with an all access pass to all of the rooms within the club, including Opium Gardens, which is one of the most sought after spots to party in South Beach. We had an amazing night. My feet hurt so much from dancing so hard.

Sunday morning, B and I went for a quick breakfast on the shore and then took a long walk so that I could take a few pictures of the beach. Afterwards, we spent some time at the pool and soaked up some sun. Unfortunately, there were a lot of thunderstorms that followed. We spent the rest of the afternoon holed up in the hotel restaurant Wish, eating lunch and sipping some drinks.

Our flight left at 7:30 last night and we got home at about midnight. Our good friends Marco and Charo picked us up at the airport which was so generous and made things so much easier for us.

Truly, it was an awesome weekend. It was a quick getaway and such a great time with friends that we have always been able to let loose with. There is nothing like being around people who really know how to have a good time and let all of the drama go. I haven't laughed so hard and danced so carefree in a long, long time. It was such an unforgettable trip.

South Beach is one of my favorite places to visit. I love people watching, and the people there are beyond your wildest expectations as far as that is concerned. The women and men are so ridiculously gorgeous. It makes you feel more fabulous just being there and taking it all in.

Anytime I visit South Beach, my skirts get shorter, my heels get higher and I dance like no one is watching... and I just can't help but think what a good thing that is.